Figure 4.

The microcirculatory shunting model of sepsis. Severe flow impairment (denoted by X) in weak microcirculatory units causes a shunting of blood to open microcirculatory units. Elevation of serum lactate concentration (from the microcirculatory units with impaired flow) may be simultaneously observed along with venous hyperoxia from the shunted units. Adapted with permission [22].